I've recently joined Instagram, and you are cordially invited to follow me @withbearhands.

I was a little shaky at first, so I took some photos of my cat, Juicy, and a latte, just to get things going. I think I'm getting the hang of it now and am excited to share my artwork, what inspires me, and personal glimpses into my life that will inform people of my work.

On the opposite end of things, I have been fascinated with following other people on Instagram, specifically fashion designers and models. It's my new guilty pleasure- legally spying on the rich and famous.

I am not rich or famous, but feel free to legally spy on me.

I'm not really asking you this (I'd feel silly doing that), but it is a question I've been asking myself over the past several months, and I'll tell you why.

I'll kill you with my bear hands acrylic on canvas

To give a little background to those of you who do not know, the name With Bear Hands spawned from a painting I made a few years ago called I'll kill you with my bear hands (above). It's one of my favorite paintings, a good blend of dark humor.

Booth Sign for Dealer at Nostalgia on McCalla

In trying to think of a title for this blog long ago, there was this natural progression of abbreviating that painting's title. So much of what I enjoy doing involves using my hands, my bare hands, to be precise. I decided to use bear instead of bare to add a bizarre element, maybe confusing, hopefully kind of funny. There's really no other explanation than that.

(Well, I also like bears. They're pretty dang cute, and they can also kill you. Sidenote: I saw a black bear for the first time in the Smoky Mountains last year (in the woods and not from my car). We locked eyes, and within a second, he ran the opposite direction. I was in love, mesmerized, happy, scared, exuberant, so glad he ran the other way, bewildered by the fact that he could tear me to pieces, but I scared him more. Amazing...)

Small mason jar paintings on salvaged wood

As time has passed and I gradually refine my business skills, I have wondered whether or not to keep using With Bear Hands as the official name of my business. Is this a good title for all the work I make? Should it only encapsulate part of what I do? All business is, I've come to find out, is a journey of answering a lot of questions.

Commissioned portrait on salvaged window sash

Detail of portrait

I do see a split within my work, specifically drawing a line that separates the work I make that is more accessible to people (i.e. mason jar paintings) and more conceptual fine art (collaborations with Juicy, fabric work, even my narrative paintings).

Available on my etsy shop

But as I keep wandering down this unknown path, there is even more.

Limited Edition prints of original paintings. This is Meet Cute.

In this post, I'm sharing photos of things I have made recently. Several people have asked me to make work for them, which has been really fun as well as educational. It is so rewarding when a person comes to me and says, "I like your work. Will you make me (insert shared idea)?"

I love this aspect of involving people in my studio practice, and so even more, this is what I have realized, not fully, but in part- that With Bear Hands is not only about the mason jars or the fine art I make, it's about all the people involved. Something more: I also want it to be about supporting and promoting other artists' work that I admire, because that seems like an important thing for me to do right now.

Fashion drawing Paint pen on acetate layered on coffee package 8 x 10"

So I guess a new theme I've picked up is the Art of Sharing. Sharing is caring, y'all, and I hope to do more of it in the future.

While we're on the subject, a great way for me to share with you is to follow me on Facebook. This is my new favorite way to talk about what's going on with With Bear Hands.

Commission piece: Tin ceiling tile shadow box

At the beginning of the year, I was inspired to begin a series of drawings called Cat Ladies. The idea was to mix images I saw in fashion magazines with portraits of female friends who love their cats in an effort to modify the stereotype.

I made two and then stopped.


Cat Lady I acrylic, india ink, marker, and charcoal on chip board 32 x 40"

I had ideas for more, but while the first one was inspired directly from a magazine photograph, the second was more concocted. I realized if I kept making them, my natural aversion to photorealistic painting would take over and I'd begin fabricating the scene and situation more and more- straying from sleek, moving toward crude.

This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I really like the outcome of the second (below). I liked making it more than the first, but it didn't fall in line with my original intent which sparked a small and nagging thought.



Cat Lady II acrylic, india ink, and marker on chipboard 40 x 32"

If I wanted to create gorgeous and sleek scenes, I needed to photograph them. So I wondered: How could I instantly become a talented fashion photographer and have access to elaborate interiors and gowns and dresses worth thousands of dollars? Hmmm.

While I pondered this, other ideas and projects took over, and the short-lived Cat Lady Series moved to the backburner.

Maybe I'll pick it back up again someday. I can envision being a fashion photographer in my 50s. By then I'll have a multitude of cats to use in my photos! Purrrfect.


Sidenote: Cat Lady I was inspired by a photograph in Vogue. Cat Lady II was inspired by a photograph by Luke Wilkins.

photo by Adam Brimer 2008

 

Like any good pet owner, I talk to Juicy on a daily basis to make sure we're always on the same page.

  

I began 2012 wanting to collaborate more with other artists. The thing I've learned so far is how difficult it can be to make this happen because of conflicting schedules and also the hesitation to actually begin working with someone else. It's hard enough to start most projects when I'm left to my own devices, so add the dynamic of another person, and... you get the idea.

With that said, I decided to start small...

I have a shop on Etsy, where each week, they feature different shop owners who write about their products and show photos. Many times, the shops are run by a husband and wife duo (like these jerks). I find it inspiring as well as annoying because a) I don't have a husband and b) even if I did, who's to say he would be someone with whom I could collaborate.

In my dreams, I'm married to some wonderfully talented, good-looking man who would also be great at all things technological and financial. He'd also be able to take incredible pictures.

Each morning, we'd switch off making each other breakfast and then we'd go our separate ways. In the afternoon, we'd come back together and share the things we'd learned and make things together. Something like that, more or less.

As much as I might pine away for my elusive collaborating husband to be, I do not have one. However, I do have something I come home to that breathes. That's right: Juices O'Hulihan, aka Hammerpants, aka Juicy, my cat.

I have had portfolios made out of chipboard from college days stored under my bed for the past couple of years. It just so happens that chipboard, which is very much like cardboard, is one of Juicy's most favorite things to claw. Although my artwork was protected, she destroyed the chipboard out of her own personal enjoyment.

So this is what I come home to: not a handsome art-collaborating husband, but a beautiful soft and rotund cat who loves tearing cardboard to shreds. So I proposed a project to do with her which would feature her favorite mark-making technique: claw marks. She accepted.

I love drawing people, and I love drawing people that I love. I decided to make portraits of males that have held a significance in my life. Whether I love(d) them romantically or as a friend is not important. Some are still friends, some not, some I haven't seen in years, all have pushed me to be a better version of myself, whether they intended to or not.

I drew them on 11 x 14" pieces of acid free chip board and placed them under my bed, one or two at a time for a week. There, Juicy could work her magic.

 

Although it was not a malicious act, I realized it could be construed as such. Instead of denying that aspect, I decided instead to yell to Juicy from time to time, "Claw their eyes out!" Honestly, this had nothing to do with each of the individuals personally, just something to make me laugh, which it did.

I never had to prompt her to claw them; She did it of her own volition, and because she derives great joy out of the process, I enjoyed being a part of that.

Something weird is that she never did claw their eyes, and the areas she did claw seemed pretty consistent. It's all very strange and makes me curious about what's going on in that little brain of hers.

So there you have it, the first Juicy-Beth Meadows Collaboration.

Note: This is a Juicy/ cat lady post. Read at your own risk.

As far as I know when I was growing up, my mom never took our pets to have their teeth cleaned. They were pets after all.

A few years ago I worked at a vet clinic, and while my gathering of data was not scientific, I'd say about half of the pets we saw had their teeth cleaned every year or so. I had no idea there were that many animals out there with pearly whites.

Assisting teeth cleanings was one of my least favorite tasks at the clinic. Each animal was put into a drug-induced haze and they'd sway back and forth while the high pitched water pick scraped away years of plaque from their teeth. It smelled bad and a lot of times they'd lose some of their teeth. It was gross and made me feel sad. I'd think I shouldn't be here. Not for this.

They say regular teeth cleanings can prolong your pet's life, so when my vet told me Juicy needed a cleaning, I began to fret. While I know she's just a cat, she is my cat, and if I plan on her being around til I'm 85, I should take her in, right? At the same time, it's a lot of money for something that seems both risky and silly. As far as I can tell, animals have been getting along just fine without dental appointments.

While I consider taking her in to have the cleaning (and quietly save up because my love for her will win out), I've purchased her some dental care treats in the meantime. While dental care treats sound like an oxymoron, I can only hope they're helping.

I do know one thing- she's crazy about them. Whenever she hears any resemblance of plasticy packaging being opened, she runs to the kitchen and sits up on a chair. I turn around to see her huge black pupils entranced on whatever I'm holding.

Although the treats are only two calories, I know her body isn't lacking in the food department. It's hard to deny her wild-eyed face, though, and the fact that she's begun to claw at me if I try to pass her without giving her any (out of control). If it's keeping her teeth from rotting out, however, I'm happy to oblige her.

I finished the Juicy Jangles screenprint a few weeks ago. I was toying with adding more to it, but after sitting on it, I decided to keep it simple.

She is a reductive four-color-run print in an edition of 28 on various colors of 14 x 11" paper.

This is the first screenprint I've made in about five years and so to celebrate, she is only $25 unframed. I've listed one so far on Etsy.